


That One Time Neil Got Tricked Into Breaking a Prince's Curse

by RedHeadFireBred



Series: That One Time Neil Ended Up In a Fairy Tale [1]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - No Exy (All For The Game), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Andrew is a swan, Crack Treated Seriously, Cuddling & Snuggling, Curse Breaking, Curses, Fairy Tale Curses, Fantasy, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Knight Kevin Day, Language Barrier, Lebedínoye Ózero | Swan Lake References, M/M, Magic, Neil Josten Is an Idiot, Neil doesn't believe in love, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Not Beta Read, Oblivious Neil Josten, POV Neil Josten, Potions, Prince Andrew Minyard, Princes & Princesses, Protective Aaron Minyard, Protective Andrew Minyard, Royalty, Soft Andrew Minyard, Stressed Kevin Day, Treason, True Love, What Was I Thinking, Witch Neil Josten, Witchcraft, Witches, aaron's trying to break his brother's curse, andrew is the swan princess, but like really an idiot, cause andrew cant talk, cause andrew cant talk as a swan, he can only honk, i'll add more later, like it's honestly impressive, no beta we die like men, save him, so much honking, there's just
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:20:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28519296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHeadFireBred/pseuds/RedHeadFireBred
Summary: Neil is a witch living in his cottage in the Enchanted Woods, making potions and helping the wildlife to pass the time. One day he finds a swan with a broken wing and heals it. Ever since then it seems like more and more people have come to bother him.~*~Or, Andrew is a cursed prince that's further cursed with his only company being the most oblivious person in the universe, Neil is a witch that doesn't want to be bothered and Aaron keeps coming to his cottage in the woods demanding help on breaking his brother's curse.
Relationships: Katelyn/Aaron Minyard, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Series: That One Time Neil Ended Up In a Fairy Tale [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2092800
Comments: 38
Kudos: 350





	That One Time Neil Got Tricked Into Breaking a Prince's Curse

**Author's Note:**

> Me browsing tumblr at like 1am: *reads a post about Andrew and Neil being each other's home and world*  
> Me: /awwwwww/  
> Me continuing to browse, now listening to music too: *swan lake starts playing*  
> Me: /AWWWWWWWW/  
> Brain: well now you gotta do it  
> Me: can't argue with that logic  
> Me at 3am writing the word 'honk' for the 80th time: MORE HONKS

Mary had chosen the Enchanted Woods because nobody in their right mind would go there, ever.

To most folk who didn’t have magic, the woods were a dark and dangerous place. And that was true - if you delved too deeply, you’d run into more unsavory creatures. You also ran the risk of wandering into the Elvish Kingdom, who kept to themselves and despised unexpected visitors. There were countless roads that wound in confusing ways, so it was likely you would get lost inside, and never find your way out. 

It was a strange sort of hell.

That’s why it was perfect.

Mary had used her magic to build a strong tower within the forest. Neil had lived in that tower since he was a young boy, never allowed outside, and never allowed to use his magic. She’d moved them the day he’d first showed signs of his natural ability, fearing him becoming a weapon to his father. Since then they’d stayed hidden in the forest, within their stronghold, living in constant fear of attack. Of Neil’s father finding them.

Eventually, he did. Mary gave her life so that Neil could live. His father ended up lost to the forest in pursuit, and most likely he still wanders lost, if he’s still alive.

Many things have happened since then. Neil gave himself a new name and a new life. He taught himself how to use his magic, stumbled into some elves who didn’t kill him, but instead taught him about the nature in the forest. How to communicate with the wildlife and not lose his way. He also picked up books of potions and spells and enchantments. Neil practiced, got better, and built himself a small cottage in a clearing, far off from the main paths.

Animals flocked to him, ‘stole’ from his garden and enjoyed trampling the cottage, but Neil didn’t mind. The wildlife was much better company than people tended to be. The few that stumbled into his home, lost in the woods, were easy to send away. If he gave them a simple charm that would direct them out of the forest, they were happy to leave. But most of his time he spent alone with nature.

On this particular morning, he was tending his garden. He was attempting to grow some pumpkins this season without the use of magic, but when it came to his crops Neil wasn’t that patient. In a week or so he’d give in and have huge pumpkins the animals around will snack on. For now, though, he could live in his illusion.

He was brought out of his thoughts when a fox rushed up to him. Neil smiled, recognizing it to be one he named Screecher, given due to the fox’s tendencies to burst into his home at odd hours just to screech at him until given affection. The fox could talk to him, sure, but the thing seemed to forget that at the most convenient of times. “What do you want?” Neil asked, reaching out a hand to scratch Screecher behind her ears.

_ I saw someone, _ the fox explained, leaning into his touches.  _ He’s hurt. Help? _

Neil dropped his hand shovel and got to his feet, rushing towards his small cottage. Just past the entryway was the small kitchen, where his medical supplies were kept. Screecher followed him the whole way, then ran off into the woods with Neil following closely. She led him further away than he’d hoped, close to one of the main paths. They both came to a stop at the sight of three wolves, growling with their backs turned to them at a large tree stump.

Neil was loathe to get in the way, only because there was a natural order to things. The wolves needed food, so they would hunt. They listened to him when he stepped in to help some animals, but more often than not he let them do what they needed to, as much as it hurt to see happen. He would’ve left altogether, but Screecher whined at his side and she’d also said this was  _ someone _ , so there was probably a little kid cornered by a wolf pack.

He rushed forward, waving a hand at the wolves without any fear. “Leave it!” he commanded, pushing one of the oversized dogs away. “Fluff, Fang! I mean it! Do what your sister’s doing, go on!”

The wolves huffed and made a big show of whining, but they listened after a moment. Neil turned towards the trunk to find not a human child, but instead a large swan. He was surprised to see one, sure he hadn’t since coming to the forest, but what strikes him most about the bird was its color. It wasn’t quite white - not a pure white, anyways - but instead its feathers seemed a pale gold, like sunlight streaming through the leaves in the early morning. Along its wings that color faded to black, dark as the night sky.

There was something about its eyes, too. A warm hazel, more like gold than brown with just a hint of earthy green. It looked like it was glaring at Neil.

Also the broken wing. That was something to take in as well.

Neil knelt down and leaned a bit closer to try and assess the damage. The swan shuffled away and honked at him, even snapping its beak. Neil frowned. “There’s no need to be so dramatic,” he scolded. “I’m here to help. The wolves will leave you alone.”

Said wolves huffed. They couldn’t speak to Neil since not all animals could, but their annoyance and displeasure was easily read. He tried smiling at the swan in the hopes that it would talk to him, because everything was easier when animals he was helping could. He could read body language easily enough, but still. Nothing like healthy communication.

The swan didn’t say anything, if it could. It continued to glare, then honked once more. Neil cautiously held out a hand. “Your wing is broken,” he pointed out.

Another honk. Neil imagined it meant something along the lines of,  _ No shit. _

“I can heal it back at my home,” Neil slowly explained. “I don’t have what I need to mend that here.” 

The swan continued to look displeased. Neil watched its eyes move towards Screecher, who was only a foot or so behind where Neil had crouched down.  _ Help, _ Screecher said, wagging her tail.  _ Yes, Neil helps! Wood folk! _

That’s not what Neil was - he was no elf, but for some reason many of the animals thought he was one of them, given he could speak to them. He didn’t bother correcting Screecher, especially since the swan didn’t seem swayed by her words. After another moment of silence, it finally honked again and got to its webbed feet, holding its broken wing to its side awkwardly, and continuing to glare.

“Alright,” Neil said to himself, assuming that the swan had made up its mind one way or another. He got to his feet as well and turned towards the way back to his home, watching the swan slowly follow. He thought about offering to carry it, but it was still glaring at everything, so that offer probably wouldn’t be appreciated. So instead, he decided to ramble.

Because despite only having animals to talk to, Neil had a lot to say. All the time.

“My home is quite a ways away from here,” he started saying. “I live away from the path so wanderers don’t bother me. Doesn’t stop people from leaving the path and getting lost, though. It takes a long time to figure out how to get around, and by the time you do, you’d probably be dead.”

If the swan could talk, it didn’t start now. When Neil glanced down at it, he found it wasn’t even looking at him, but instead staring straight ahead at the plant life that wasn’t even a path. It wasn’t very fast, either, so Neil had to consciously slow himself down to keep pace with the animal.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a swan in these woods,” Neil continued when there was nothing else to fill the silence. “There used to be a large lake with lots of them at my family’s house. You’re beautiful creatures, but you’re aggressive as hell, too.”

Finally, the swan let out a small honk. Almost like a human grunt. Neil smiled at the sound of it. At least he was sure the swan could understand him, even if it couldn’t talk back.

“Can you speak?” Neil asked after a moment. The swan finally looked back up at him, still glaring. “Right, of course you can. That was a stupid question.” Neil shook his head. “I mean, can you speak to me? Not all animals know the language.”

The swan looked away, and didn’t offer any response. It seemed even more upset, now, given the way its wings had hunched up towards its neck. The position must be painful on the broken wing.

“That’s alright,” Neil tried to reassure it. “Things will be fine.”

When they got back to the cottage, things clearly weren’t fine. The swan hopped up the steps to the front porch and followed Neil inside to his kitchen, where he quickly went about making a potion to help heal the swan’s bones. He threw some herbs towards his cutting board to chop, left the potion to brew in a pot on the stove by itself, whispered some words to give the potion its real power, pouring magic into the brew.

When it was finished, the swan was still on the floor. And glaring.

Neil took a step towards it.

“Can I help you up here?” he asked, pointing at his small counter space that was covered in...well, in stuff he probably should’ve cleaned up a week ago. Neil flicked his wrist and the mess disappeared. The swan continued to glare. “Please don’t bite me.”

The swan bit him.

Neil stuck his thumb in his mouth, even though he probably shouldn’t. Who knows what diseases the thing carried. “I probably deserved that,” Neil mumbled.

The swan honked, almost in agreement.

“Fine, then get yourself up there,” Neil told it, pointing at the counter. The swan huffed, or huffed as much as it could, and proceeded to hop onto the counter using a nearby stool. It looked rather smug when it was able to do that without any help. Neil walked to his potion and grabbed a long spoon, getting a bit of the potion ready and holding it out towards the swan. “Tilt your head back,” he said gently, successfully spoon feeding the swan.

It shook its head and seemed to almost sneeze once or twice after it had drunk the potion. Neil knew from experience the stuff tasted terrible. He started bottling up the rest of the brew while the swan moved about, eventually spreading its wings and flapping a few times.

“Don’t move it,” Neil told it, holding a hand out but not trying to touch the thing. He wasn’t eager to get bitten again. “It may feel healed but it’s not, yet. Give it a few hours.”

The swan glared and huffed again, tucked its wings away. Neil finished putting the potion away and then looked at the swan, who was staring. Not glaring, for once. He started towards the door, turning at the last moment and gave the swan a smile. “I need to weed the garden. You’re welcome to come with.”

The swan stood still for a moment, but finally glided down to the floor and followed Neil outside.

In the end the bird was more of a bother than any help, but Neil also had quite a bit of fun. The swan stole his tools and dug holes, so he spent a lot of time playfully chasing the thing. After an hour or two the thing started trying to fly again, honking loudly and dirtying its feathers. Neil always got dirty when he tended to his garden, but by the time the sun started to get low in the sky he was covered in dirt. 

“I know you already have a name,” Neil started saying, watching the swan next to him who was staring at the sun in the sky. He was kneeling next to his carrot patch that the swan had dug holes, trying to fill them back up. “But since you can’t tell me, I need to call you  _ something.” _ The swan continued to ignore him. “I think I’ll call you Honker.”

The swan immediately turned and honked loudly, flapping its wings at Neil and nipping at his fingers. He took that to mean the swan didn’t like the name, but he wasn’t very good at naming things or taking the hint from danger, so he just grinned and decided the swan was definitely going to be called Honker until it could tell him what its real name is.

Honker looked at the sky again, then back at Neil. Then it turned away and flew off, back into the woods. Neil watched it go, feeling a bit sad when it was gone. Honker had been good company.

“You can come back whenever you want!” he shouted once the swan was out of sight.

He didn’t know if it had heard him, but he liked to think it had.

~*~

Honker came back.

The first time he came back was the day after Neil had met him. It was about mid afternoon and Neil was once again out in the garden, enchanting the pumpkins to grow faster. He’d only just finished his spell when he heard some familiar honking, watching the pale-gold swan land next to his crouching form. Honker was glaring and wouldn’t stop making noise, as though he was yelling at Neil. He probably was.

“You’re back,” Neil said to it with a smile. The swan stopped honking and glared even harder, if possible. “I forgot to tell you you’re welcome anytime you want. Lots of animals find their way here at some point. I’m happy you found your way back.”

There was a moment of silence before Honker waddled forward and nipped at Neil’s fingers and let out a loud honk. Despite the fact the bites pinched, he didn’t mind them.

Honker showed up just about every day afterwards. He would annoy Neil in the garden and invite himself into the cottage, watching Neil make potions and food he’d give to elves and other creatures living in the forest in exchange for what resources he needed. If Neil ignored the swan for too long, he would knock something off the counter, like a cat. At first it was genuinely annoying, but Neil didn’t mind as time went on. At one point he tried to make a little bed for Honker to sleep in if he wanted to stay the night.

The swan never did. He always flew off by sunset.

Gradually, though, he seemed to show up and stick around for longer. More than once Neil woke up with a face full of feathers because he’d left his bedroom window open and the swan had flown inside. After three months of meetings, the swan would stick around when Neil began to settle down for the night, reading on the front porch or in his bed. Honker would lounge nearby, and eventually one day he climbed into Neil’s lap while he read at night.

“You should just stay here,” Neil told him, running his fingers over the feathers at the base of the swan’s neck. It had taken a long time to gain the swan’s trust enough for him to allow the touches. Currently, Honker was letting out a strange sound that almost sounded like a honking purr. “I’ll give you food and you can keep me company. It’s fun when you’re here.”

Honker blinked his eyes open and looked up at Neil for a bit. A moment later he drew away, standing on the bed and staring up at the sky. The sun was going over the horizon, and the sky was turning dark. Neil pushed open the window for the swan, who hopped onto the sill and stared at the witch for a moment. Neil leaned against the sill and stared at Honker. 

“It’s okay,” he whispered. “I know you have to go. But if you ever want to, you can stay.”

Honker nipped at his fingers, then flew out into the night.

The next day Neil woke up without any interruptions. He decided to spend the morning making some more sweet bread for Honker, since the stash had run low. After that he went out into the garden, as usual, and began working on pulling up some carrots. His hands were covered in dirt by the time he heard a familiar flapping of wings followed by a loud honk, and he turned to face the pale-gold swan with a smile. That smile fell when a human person walked past the gate, getting closer to Neil.

The witch stood up and watched the stranger closely, noticing the bow and quiver of arrows on the stranger’s back, as well as the short sword hanging from a belt around his hips. The stranger was just a bit shorter than Neil, blond and thin, not really muscular. He was dressed in some finer looking clothes, fit with some sort of house crest on his chest. His eyebrows were furrowed and he was looking from Honker to Neil, appearing just as cautious.

“Are you lost?” Neil asked, because that’s the only reason strangers found him.

“No,” the stranger replied. There was a moment of silence where Neil waited for the man to continue, suddenly fearing this was one of his father’s men. Or some other danger. Honker honked loudly once, flapping his wings at Neil’s side, and the man let out a noise full of irritation. “I was told you’re a witch.”

“What’s it to you?” Neil asked.

“I came to ask some questions.”

“I’m not giving you anything magical except something to take you right back the way you came,” Neil said, shifting to go towards his cottage. He glanced down at Honker, who was glaring at the stranger, not sparing Neil a glance.

“It’s important,” the stranger continued. “Just listen to me.”

“Why? Who are you?”

“I’m Crown Prince Aaron of the Kingdom of Palmetto,” the man said. Neil paused and gave him a once over again, staring hard at the house crest of foxes surrounding a tree that must be for the royal family. “I need help.”

Neil raised an eyebrow. “That seemed difficult to get out.”

Aaron glared at him, looking fully prepared to turn away. But he didn’t. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”

After glancing down at Honker, almost for permission, Neil led Aaron into his cottage and to his small table. He went to the sweet bread and put some on a plate for Honker, letting the swan eat what he wanted while he sat down to talk with Aaron about whatever he wanted to talk about. For a moment he considered offering some tea, but decided that he wanted to keep it to himself.

“What did you need help with?” he asked.

Honker let out a loud honk and went to eating the sweet bread. Aaron glared at the swan once before explaining. “I need to know some things about magic. Nobody I know has the ability, and…”

“What?” Neil pressed.

“Someone I know has been cursed.”

“Cursed,” Neil repeated, frowning to himself. “Well, that’s lucky.”

Aaron continued to glare. “What can you tell me about curses?”

Neil shrugged. “It’s self explanatory? They’re spells someone uses to  _ curse _ someone. Usually in a negative way.”

“How do you  _ break _ them?”

“Oh. Well, that’s not as easy.” Neil stood up and walked to one of his books, bringing it back to Aaron and pointing at a page. The prince frowned at the text, and after a moment Neil realized he couldn’t read it. “It’s Elvish,” he explained, pulling the book back to himself. “Curses are easy magic. Anyone can do them.”

“I heard you need natural magic to do spells,” Aaron argued.

“Well, yes. Spells, enchantments, most potions. But curses can be made by anyone.” Neil looked down at the book and tried to think of a way to explain. “They’re usually created with full intent and strong emotions, but someone who makes one has to follow the rules. There’s a basic spellcasting, certain ingredients and some even require a sacrifice, or blessing from a god.”

Aaron slowly ran one hand through his hair. His eyebrows drew together and he suddenly looked tired and weary and on the verge of tears. “Great.”

It wasn’t great, but curses were often more annoying than lethal. Usually used for trickery more than anything else, but Enchantresses and Sorcerers have been known to use some exceptionally terrible curses to get what they want. “The  _ good _ news,” Neil continued, “is that curses are made to be broken. When you make one, it is required that you create a way for the curse to be lifted.”

Just a bit of life returned to Aaron’s eyes. “All of them?”

“Yep. Otherwise it’s not a curse.” Neil took a deep breath and looked back down at the book. “If whoever cast the curse was smart, they would’ve chosen a difficult way to break it. Battle a monster, go on an impossible quest, true love’s kiss.”

“I don’t know how to break it,” Aaron admitted.

“I can make you a potion that will tell you,” Neil offered.

That’s how he spent the rest of his afternoon - with Aaron awkwardly watching him work and Honker right in his face, letting out noises and nipping at his fingers in demands for more food. It was finally done when the sun started getting low in the sky, so Neil poured it into a jar and handed it off to Aaron, who quietly offered his thanks before turning to leave. To Neil’s surprise, Honker flew after him.

He wasn’t sure why he was feeling upset to see the swan go.

Honker returned daily, as usual, but three days later Aaron came back. This time he had someone else with him - another man dressed in expensive looking clothing, but without any visible weapons on him. He looked far more cheerful than Aaron did, coming up to Neil without hesitation to shake his hand and introduce himself as Nicky, Aaron’s cousin.

“Hi,” Neil said, looking at Aaron in irritation. “Why are you here?”

“We have questions,” Aaron replied vaguely.

“About curses?”

“Yes,” Nicky said, more serious than before.

Honker honked once, nipping at Neil’s fingers. The witch took the hint and let the two into his cottage. This time he offered them something to drink and gave Honker a small plate of tiny pies, which the swan immediately started eating. Nicky watched the swan with a tiny wrinkle to his forehead, but quickly paid attention to Neil when Aaron started talking.

“About the curse,” Aaron began to say, “we found out how to break it.”

“Oh, great,” Neil said with a blank look. “I hope you didn’t come all this way to tell me that.”

“It’s the... _ how _ we break the curse,” Nicky spoke up. “It’s...well, we should start at the beginning.”

Honker looked up from his pies to honk at the two men. They stared at the swan for a moment, then Aaron nodded. “My brother, Prince Andrew, was cursed,” he told Neil. “It happened a few months ago when he was on his way back from getting an alliance signed with the E'Allen Kingdom.” Aaron shrugged. “Anyways, long story short, his company was attacked on the way back, and he suddenly went missing. I found him cursed, here, and I need to break it.”

It wasn’t like Neil was trying to be accusatory, but he needed to know more. “Why?”

Nicky jumped in before Aaron could speak up. “Because there’s rumors of possible treason happening in the palace of Palmetto,” he told Neil. “Aaron is Crown Prince now, but Andrew is going to take over after Aaron’s marriage to the Princess of Vixen. His coronation is in a few weeks, it’s been pushed off long enough, and if he isn’t there for it, then…” Nicky fell silent and looked down at the table.

“Then my uncle, Lord Luther, will become King of Palmetto,” Aaron said with a grumble. “After the initial searches for Andrew, he was persistent that we needn't look into anything further. He’s suggested multiple times he become king instead.”

“That sounds like treason,” Neil said. Honker let out a loud honk, then let Neil pet his feathers at the base of his neck. “So, what was your question about curse breaking?”

The two men just stared at Neil for a moment, probably wondering why he was petting a swan. Come to think of it, they were probably wondering why he’d fed said swan some pies as well. “Last time, you mentioned there are difficult ways to break curses,” Aaron slowly said. “And this...seems difficult. Especially concerning Andrew.”

“Oh. Well, what is it?”

Nicky pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “May you eternally live your days without legs or speech, and only by the moonlight of the lake may you walk the sacred grounds. Only by one confessing to their whole world their love may you be allowed home.”

Neil thought the words over, then slowly nodded. “A love curse,” he said quietly. “The toughest to break.”

“Why?” Nicky asked.

“Well, most times the curses don’t specify what  _ kind _ of love,” Neil said, waving a hand. “Not that it makes a difference - love doesn’t exist. It’s just a concept.”

The two men shared a look. “Go back to the different-kinds-of-love thing,” Aaron said almost carefully.

“Familial versus romantic,” Neil explained. “If it was familial, it would be simpler. I think. If you truly believed you love your brother, then all you’d have to do is confess to the world that you do.”

Aaron scoffed and Honker honked. Nicky held up a hand. “Okay, okay,” he said, clearly trying to stop an argument. “What about romantic?”

“Well, same thing, I guess. Love is difficult with curses, because it all depends on what the curse considers enough to break it.” Neil stopped petting Honker to start tapping his fingers on the table instead. “Then there’s the ‘whole world’ part. Is it literally the whole world? Is it just your kingdom? Whoever did this was smart, I’ll give them that.”

Aaron covered his face with his hands. “Great,” he said, voice muffled. “How can we break this?”

Honker let out a honk and nipped Neil’s fingers. The witch absently started petting the swan again. “I’m sorry,” Neil said to them both.

“Thanks for explaining,” Nicky said, getting to his feet. After a moment Aaron followed, and Neil let them both see themselves out. This time Honker stayed behind, watching them go from the window.

~*~

The next day, Honker arrived with another guest. Neil faltered at the sight of the man, immediately recognizing him to be Kevin Day, a knight of E'Allen. Or, at least, he was. The man now wore silver armor with the crest of Palmetto on the breastplate, so clearly...something happened. Neil felt like running as the man approached, but after a few minutes the witch realized Kevin didn’t recognize him. At all.

“So you’re the witch,” Kevin said to him.

“That’s me,” Neil agreed, trying not to act like he was freaking out.

“You helped Aaron and Nicky with the curse,” Kevin stated.

“Oh. Yes.” Neil tilted his head. “Did they break it?”

Honker let out a loud noise. Kevin just stared at him for a moment. “I was asked to show you something,” the knight said.

Oh, that couldn't end well. “No thanks. I don’t deliver things to those that order them.”

“This is important,” Kevin said sternly. “The fate of Palmetto relies on this.”

Honker let out another loud honk. Kevin rolled his eyes in response to the noise this time. “I don’t care,” Neil told Kevin truthfully. “Incase you haven’t noticed, I’m not part of any kingdom.”

“Prince Andrew asked me to do this,” Kevin said. He was glaring now, looking barely a moment away from just dragging Neil to where he wanted to go. 

The witch’s eyes looked down to Honker out of habit, seeing the swan staring at him intently. Neil furrowed his eyebrows, but after a short staring contest he knew what was going to happen. “Fine,” he said, grabbing his bow and walking after Kevin. He felt infinitely better when Honker followed as well.

The swan flew a bit ahead, taking them back to the main path and eventually to one off of it, barely noticeable. After a while of walking they reached a clearing full of white stoned ruins, covered in flowers and vines. And there was a huge lake in the center. Neil looked around in awe but made sure to keep his guard up.

“What is this place?” he asked.

“Sacred grounds,” Kevin said quickly. He walked towards the right, where some items were. A large mattress piled high with pillows and blankets, looking more like a nest than anything else. A wardrobe with clothing. A table with food. Honker flew over with them and let out a honk, flapping his wings. Kevin turned away. “Fine,” he said to the bird.

Neil just followed, taking everything in. “It’s beautiful here.”

Honker nudged his thigh with his head and nipped his fingers. Neil looked down at the swan with a small smile and patted his head. 

“This is part of the curse,” Kevin explained. “At night Prince Andrew can’t leave the grounds.”

“Okay,” Neil said, even though he really didn’t get why Kevin made him walk all the way here. “Where’s the Prince now?”

Kevin gave him a look. When it got too uncomfortable Neil stared at Honker, who was staring at him as well. The witch wasn’t sure what they wanted from him.

“Come here,” Kevin told him. “Break the curse.”

Neil gave him a look this time. “Do you know the conditions to break the curse?”

“Yes. Fulfill it.”

Neil was still confused. He nodded anyways so that Kevin would leave him alone.

Kevin and Honker followed him out of the grounds and back to his cottage. There Kevin said his goodbyes while Honker stuck around to annoy Neil in the garden. The rest of the day passed as usual, and by the time the sun began to set Honker was settled in Neil’s lap while he read a book. He was surprised when this time Honker stuck around until the sun had fully set before finally pushing out of Neil’s lap, flapping his wings a few times.

“You leaving?” Neil asked.

Honker honked at him, then made a rather human gesture of nodding towards the forest. It made Neil frown and get up, watching the swan glide towards the wood, but stop and stare back at Neil. He honked again. After a moment, Neil thought he understood, so he grabbed his bow and arrows and ran after the swan.

They moved much more quickly to the sacred grounds. Honker settled by the entrance while Neil cautiously stepped inside, looking around for this Prince Andrew that Kevin was so sure he could break the curse of. But there was nobody else in the grounds, not even in the space that held the nest of blankets, where Neil thought the prince might be.

“Hello?” he called once, but received no answer. He glanced down at Honker, who was glaring at him. “What?” he asked.

The swan let out a honk-like grunt, then flapped his wings and flew towards the lake. Neil watched him go and stumbled after him, watching as the large bird touched down on the surface of the water where the moonlight was shining the brightest. The water immediately began to bubble, pale green light flew out of it and surrounded Honker. Neil squinted and tried to watch what was happening, gasping when Honker’s form was replaced with a man’s.

The first thing that registered in Neil’s mind was that he looked a lot like Aaron. The second thought he had was that this definitely  _ wasn’t _ Aaron.

There were similarities, like the hair color and stature. Facial structure too, but the differences were glaringly obvious. This man was broader and more muscular. His hair, the same color as Honker’s feathers, wasn’t as long so it didn’t curl as much. His eyes were the same color as Honker’s too, looking like they hid a hint of magic with the way the moonlight shined off them. When Neil looked closely he noticed some freckles.

Neil quickly stopped looking closely. The man was naked, and this man most definitely Prince Andrew, given the resemblance he had to his brother. 

“Gu-uh,” Neil stuttered out, quickly reaching for his cloak and throwing it at the prince. “Hi.”

Said prince glared in such a familiar way. He was somehow still standing on the surface of the lake, and after wrapping the cloak around himself he walked forward. Neil didn’t know if he should step back or bow or run away.

He didn’t end up doing any of those things.

“You’re the worst,” Andrew said to him. His voice was much nicer to listen to than Aaron’s - it was deeper, and despite the harshness of his tone Neil smiled.

“You’re talking to me,” he said happily. Andrew just rolled his eyes and pushed past, heading for the nest of blankets. Neil quickly followed. “Oh, that name I gave you…”

Andrew quickly spun around and glared even more harshly, then went to his closet and pulled on some black pants and top. “We’re never mentioning that again.”

“Okay,” Neil easily agreed, probably nodding a bit too eagerly. “So, you’re cursed.”

“Now you notice.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t.”

“You’re an idiot,” Andrew rephrased for him, sitting back on the blanket pile. 

“Yeah,” Neil agreed immediately. 

There was a moment of silence, but it didn’t feel awkward to Neil. He just stared at Andrew, taking in how he looked as a human. The shirt he was wearing fit him nicely, allowing Neil to appreciate his biceps. Andrew could probably bench press him. Or maybe not, but for some reason the thought came to Neil. He kept going back to the freckles and how his hair shined in the moonlight, and how much he liked the little crease between his eyebrows as Andrew frowned at him.

“Staring,” Andrew told him.

“Can’t help it,” Neil grumbled. “You used to look like a swan.”

Andrew rolled his eyes. “I’m cursed,” he said, bringing Neil’s attention back to the problem at hand. “I need to break it before my coronation in three weeks.”

“Oh, the whole love thing,” Neil said. “I can try, I guess.”

Andrew frowned again and watched Neil for a moment. “Do you understand what you’re agreeing to?”

“Helping you find someone that will confess their love to the world?” Neil asked with a shrug. 

“We’re not worrying about that,” Andrew said, getting to his feet. “We need to take out E'Allen. Prince Riko is the one who cursed me. Without me, Palmetto falls to Luther’s rule, and Riko can get Kevin back.”

_ “Oh,” _ Neil whispered. “But, how do we take out a whole kingdom?”

“By taking out the one behind the treason,” Andrew explained. He grabbed a knife and casually began to flick it between his fingers. Neil couldn’t take his eyes off the blade. “Ichirou doesn’t know what Riko’s done. Luther’s doing this with the idea that Riko will get the throne.”

“Second-born sons can’t rule in E'Allen,” Neil pointed out.

“Unless the firstborn is killed.”

Neil slowly nodded. “Alright. We take out Riko.”

Andrew shook his head. “You and Kevin take out Riko.”

“Not that I hate your plan,” Neil was quick to say, “but why me and Kevin? Don’t you want to help?”

“I’m  _ cursed,” _ Andrew stressed. “In the daytime I’m a fucking  _ swan. _ At night I’m human but I can’t leave these grounds. I  _ can’t _ fight Riko, as much as I’d like to stick him with my blade.”

“So you need us to do it.”

“Unfortunately.”

Neil sighed. “I’ll do it.”

“Will you?”

“Yes. Besides, there’s a small chance curses can be broken if the caster is killed.”

Andrew rolled his eyes for what felt like the tenth time that night. “You’re an idiot.”

“Well, yeah. Unfortunately for you, you need this idiot.”

“The horror.”

Neil grinned. They spent the rest of their time together that night lounging on the blanket pile and discussing anything but curses or treason or plans to kill a prince, and Neil finally got to know Andrew.

He couldn’t help but let himself be selfish for a moment and felt happy that Andrew had gotten cursed so they could meet. From now on, he’d do whatever he could to help his friend.

No matter the price.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi.
> 
> Thanks for reading this fic that randomly came to me late at night. I wanted to post my ramblings but if people genuinely like this I'll expand this story or at least write some more one-shots. I just need to get over my anxiety of posting my works and just get it over with 'cause I have at least 10 others I'm procrastinating on.
> 
> New Years Resolution = just post what I write
> 
> Come talk to me on tumblr if you'd like! @jingerhead


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